Fountain paint roller assembly



1966 R. e. LELAND 3,263,264

FOUNTAIN PAINT ROLLER ASSEMBLY Filed May 28, 1.964

2 Sheets-$heet 1 INVENTOR. ems/vynur G. LELA/VO,

Aug. 1966 R. G. LELAND 3,263,264

FOUNTAIN PAINT ROLLER ASSEMBLY FIG. 6.

United States Patent 3,263,264 FQUNTAIN PAENT RULLER ASSEMBLY Ragnvald G. Leland, 2334 W. 241st St, Lomita, Qalif. Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 378,789 Claims. (Cl. -575) This invention relates to paint applicators, and more particularly to a paint roller assembly of the type including its own reservoir so that the applicator may be employed to cover large surfaces without the need of frequently replenishing the paint on the roller element thereof.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved fountain roller assembly which is relatively simple in construction, which is easy to operate, and which includes means for feeding the liquid carried thereby to the roller element thereof in a uniform and continuous manner so that the liquid may be spread evenly and efliciently over the surface to which it is intended to be applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved fountain paint roller assembly which involves inexpensive components, which is durable in construction, which is easy to take apart for cleaning, and which reduces drip of the liquid therefrom so as to minimize waste of said liquid.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved fountain roller assembly which is relatively compact in size, which is light in weight, which is highly maneuverable so that it can be readily applied for various types of surfaces and surfaces at different heights and locations, and being easy to refill whenever required.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will becomes apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved fountain roller assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view, to a somewhat enlarged scale, of the roller portion of the assembly of FIGURE 1, showing the roller element in end elevational view and showing the parts adjacent to the roller element.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view, similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the parts arranged for applying liquid to a horizontal surface wherein the reservoir is folded to a position adjacent and above the handle rod member of the assembly.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved fountain paint roller assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention. The assembly comprises a reservoir 12, which is normally arranged in a substantially vertical position, the reservoir having a front wall 13, a rear wall 14, and transverse side walls 15 and 16, the front and rear walls having spaced parallel bottom margins and being convergent above said bottom margins to define a restricted throat 17. Thus, the front wall .13 may be formed with a V-bend 18 which projects inwardly toward the plane of the flat rear wall 14, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 5, to define the restricted throat 17. There is thus defined a downwardly and outwardly inclined bottom front wall portion 19.

The reservoir 12 is provided with the top wall 21, and said top wall is in turn provided with a removable threaded cover cap 22 which, when removed, provides access to the reservoir for refilling same.

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The reservoir 12 is preferably formed of thin plastic material having substantial flexibility, although other suitable rigid or flexible sheet materials may be employed, if so desired.

Designated at 23 is a generally cylindrical core member, employed as a valve element, which is rotatably supported subjacent the throat 17, substantial-1y in contact with the inside surfaces of rear wall 14 and the downwardly and forwardly inclined front wall bottom portion 19. The inside surfaces of the side walls 15 and 16 may thus be formed at their lower portions with downwardly concave arcuate ribs 24 engageable with the ends of the core 23 and cooperating with a pair of inwardly projecting lugs 25, 25 formed in the front wall element 19 to rotatably support the core member 23, the lugs 25, 25 underlying the core member and the arcuate ribs 24 overlying the respective ends of said core member, whereby the core member is supported for rotation on its axis in a position subjacent and parallel to the throat 17.

Core 23 is formed with the longitudinally spaced slots or notches 27, all located at one side of the core and preferably being uniformly spaced. The bottom edge of the rear wall 14 is formed with notches 28 which are aligned with the notches 27 of core 23.

Rigidly secured to the intermediate portion of the core 23 is an adjusting rod 29 which projects through a slot 39 provided in the bottom wall portion 19 between the lugs 25, 25 and being of sufficient length to allow adjustment of the core 23 from a closing position, such as that illustrated in FIGURE 5, to a position wherein full communication is provided through the notches 27 between the space above the throat 17 and the space below the core 23.

The lower marginal portion of rear wall 14 and the wall element 19 are sufficiently flexible to allow the core 23 to be at times disengaged from the lugs 25, 25 and to be removed from the reservoir to allow cleaning of the throat 27 and of the core 23, the adjusting rod 29 being suitably shaped to permit the same to be extricated from the elongated slot 30 when the core 23 is removed. Thus, the adjusting rod 29 may be of substantially stepped or sinuous configuration, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 5.

As Will be further apparent from FIGURE 5, the core 23 is substantially larger in diameter than the width of the narrowest portion of throat 17, thus enabling the core to be substantially in surface contact with the inside surfaces of the lower portion of rear wall 14 and of front wall portion 19, as above mentioned.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the side Walls 15 and 16 are formed at their lower ends with the inwardly offset portions 31 and 32 which are receivable in the respective inwardly dished end discs 33 and 34 of a paint roller 35, the roller being provided with a shaft 36 which extends axially through the end wall elements 33 and 34 and through the inwardly offset side wall portions 31 and 32. The roller 35 is rotatable on the shaft 36, its top surface being engaged respectively by the bottom edges of front wall portion 19 and rear wall 14, namely, by the fingers 37 defined between the rear wall notches 28. The lower margin-a1 portion of rear wall 14 is integrally formed with the inwardly projecting lug elements 38 engaging beneath the portions of core 23 located between the notches 27 and therefore being substantially in alignment with the fingers 37, as shown in FIGURE 6.. The lugs 33 act as sealing means to prevent paint from leaking along the core 23 and act to divert the paint downwardly toward the notches 28, thus minimizing drips of paint and accumulation thereof at one side of the roller, particularly where it is used in a position wherein the roller shaft 36 is inclined at a considerable angle to the horizontal.

As shown in FIGURE 4-, shaft 36 is provided at one end with a retaining nut 39, externally adjacent to and received within the recess defined by the inwardly offset bottom side wall portion 31. The roller is provided with the elongated handle rod having the gripping handle 41 at its end and being integrally connected with the shaft 36 by a U-bend 42, the handle rod at) extending perpendicular to the shaft 36 and being substantially aligned with the midpoint of the shaft, as will be apparent from FIGURES 1 and 4. Thus, the shaft 36 comprises one side of the U-bend 42, the other side of said U-bend comprising a rod portion 43 merging with handle rod 4i).

Designated at 44 is a stop plate having the bifurcated main portion formed with the notch 46 receiving rod element 43 and having the inwardly offset apertured auxiliary portion 48 rotatably receiving the portion of shaft 36 adjacent the U-bend and disposed adjacent and parallel to the inwardly offset lower side wall portion 32. The inwardly offset plate portion 48 is thus received in the recess defined by the inwardly offset lower wall portion 32, and the plate portion 48 is formed with a corner element 49 which is engageable with the top wall Stl of the aforesaid recess to limit rotation of the reservoir 12 relative tothe handle rod 40. Thus, in the position shown in FIGURE 2 wherein the roller 35 is being used on an elevated vertical wall portion 52, the reservoir 12 is supported in a substantially vertical position above the roller 35 by the abutment of the wall with the plate corner 49, the handle rod 40 being held in an upwardly extending position inclined toward the wall surface 52, as illustrated. As will be readily apparent, in this position, paint in the reservoir 12 is free to gravitate downwardly through the flow-controlling valve defined by throat 17 and the associated adjustable core element 23, into the space below the core element and onto the surface of the roller 75, flowing forwardly onto the roller to the notches 28 in rear wall 14. The rate of distribution of the paint is regulated by suitably adjusting the valve core element 23 by means of its adjusting rod 29. The bottom edge of front wall portion 19 engages the surface of the roller and prevents flow of paint therepast, whereby the flow of paint is only allowed to take place through the notches 28 and therefore in a direction toward the surface on which the paint is being distributed.

For using the device on a lower wall surface or on a horizontal surface such as a floor, or the like, the reservoir 12 is swung from the position of FIGURE 2 to the position of FIGURE 3, namely, to the position wherein the rear wall 12 is adjacent and overlies the rod portion 43 and is supported thereon. The stop plate portion 48 is thus provided with the arcuately curved edge 54, concentric with the shaft 36, which provides clearance for wall 50 as the handle rod 4% is swung in a counterclockwise direction from the position of FIGURE 2 to the position of FIGURE 3.

Therefore, the device may be readily rearranged for use 'in applying paint or other liquid to a horizontal surface 55, as shown in FIGURE 3, and as is clearly apparent from FIGURE 3, the reservoir 12 is again supported in a substantially vertical position allowing the liquid therein to flow downwardly onto the applicating roller 33.

It will be noted that the roller 35 is rotatably supported on the inwardly offset lower side wall portions 31 and 32, as illustrated in FIGURE 6, as well as on the shaft 36, since the inwardly offset wall portions 31 and 32 are received within the inwardly dished end walls 33 and 34 of the roller. Thus, not only is the retaining nut 39 housed in the recess defined by the inwardly offset side wall portion 31, but the top portion 48 of the stop plate 44 is likewisehoused beneath the top wall 50 of the recess defined by the inwardly offset side wall portion 32 at the opposite side of the reservoir 12.

While a specific embodiment of an improved fountain paint roller assembly has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to i. those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined -by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fountain paint roller assembly comprising a substantially vertical elongated reservoir having front and rear walls and transverse side walls, said front and rear walls having spaced lower edges and convergent portions above said lower edges defining a restricted throat, a cylindrical valve core disposed subjacent and substantially in contact with said throat parallel thereto, arcuate inwardly projecting downwardly concave ribs on said side walls overlying the ends of the core, inwardly projecting lugs on the front wall underlying the core and cooperating with the arcuate ribs to rotatably support said core, said core being larger in diameter than said throat, said core having longitudinally spaced notches in one side thereof, means for rotating said core between a throat-closing position and an open position wherein its notches provide communication between the reservoir above said throat and the space below the core, a paint roller rotatably connected to said side walls below and parallel to said throat with its upper surface substantially in contact with said spaced lower edges of the front and rear walls, said roller being provided with a handle rod, and cooperating stop means on said handle rod and one of the side walls limiting rotation of the reservoir relative to said handle rod.

2. A fountain paint roller assembly comprising a substantially vertical elongated reservoir having front and rear walls and transverse side walls, said front and rear walls having spaced lower edges and convergent portions above said lower edges defining a restricted throat, a cylindrical valve core rotatably supported subjacent and substantially in contact with said throat and extending longitudinally therein between said side walls, said core being larger in diameter than said throat, said core having longitudinally spaced notches in one side thereof, means for rotating said core between a throat-closing position and an open position wherein its notches provide communication between the reservoir above said throat and the space below the core, a paint roller rotatably connected to said side walls below and parallel to said throat with its upper surface substantially in contact with said spaced lower edges of the front and rear walls, said roller being provided with a shaft and a handle rod formed integrally with said shaft, and a stop plate non-rotatably mounted on an end portion of said shaft, the adjacent side wall of the reservoir being formed with an inwardly offset portion receiving said stop plate, said inwardly offset portion having a top wall cooperating with said stop plate to limit rotation of the reservoir relative to said handle rod.

3. A fountain paint roller assembly comprising a substantially vertical elongated reservoir having front and rear walls and transverse side walls, said front and rear walls having spaced lower edges and convergent portions above said lower edges defining a restricted throat, a cylindrical valve core disposed subjacent and substantially in contact with said throat, parallel thereto, arcuate inwardly projecting downwardly concave ribs on said sidewalls overlying the ends of the core, inwardly projecting lugs on the front wall underlying the core and cooperating with the arcuate ribs to rotatably support said core, said core being larger in diameter than said throat, said core having longitudinally spaced notches in one side thereof, means for rotating said core between a throat-closing position and an open position wherein its notches provide communication between the reservoir above said throat and the space below the core, a paint roller rotatably connected to said side walls below and parallel to said throat with its upper surface substantially in contact with said spaced lower edges of the front and rear walls, said roller being provided with a shaft and a handle rod formed integrally with said shaft, and a stop plate non-rotatably mounted on an end portion of said shaft, the adjacent side wall of the reservoir being formed with an inwardly offset portion receiving said stop plate, said inwardly offset portion having a top wall cooperating with said stop plate to limit rotation of the reservoir relative to said handle rod.

4. A fountain paint roller assembly comprising a substantially vertical elongated reservoir having front and rear walls and transverse side walls, said front and rear walls having spaced lower edges and convergent portions above said lower edges defining a restricted throat, a cylindrical valve core rotatably supported subjacent and substantially in contact with said throat and extending longitudinally therein between said side walls, said core being larger in diameter than said throat, said core having longitudinally spaced notches in one side thereof, means for rotating said core between a throat-closing position and an open position wherein its notches provide communication between the reservoir above said throat and spaced below the core, a paint roller rotatably connected to said side walls below and parallel to said throat with its upper surface substantially in contact with said spaced lower edges of the front and rear walls, said roller having outwardly concave end walls and being provided with a shaft extending axially through said end walls and with a handle rod formed integrally with said shaft and connected thereto by a U-bend, said side walls of the reservoir having inwardly offset lower portions received in said concave end walls, and a stop plate mounted on the U-bend and having a top edge cooperating with the top wall of one of said inwardly offset side wall portions to limit rotation of the reservoir relative to said handle rod.

5. A fountain paint roller assembly comprising a sub stantially vertical elongated reservoir having front and rear walls and transverse side walls, said front and rear walls having spaced lower edges and convergent portions above said lower edges defining a restricted throat, a cylindrical valve core disposed subjacent and substantially in contact with said throat, parallel thereto, arcuate inwardly projecting downwardly concave ribs on said side walls overlying the ends of the core, inwardly projecting lugs on the front wall underlying the core and cooperating with the arcuate ribs to rotatably support said cor-e, said core being larger in diameter than said throat, said core having longitudinally spaced notches in one side thereof, means for rotating said core between a throatclosing position and an open position wherein its notches provide communication between the reservoir above said throat and spaced below the core, a paint roller rotatably connected to said side walls below and parallel to said throat with its upper surface substantially in contact with said spaced lower edges of the front and rear walls, said roller having outwardly concave end walls and being provided with a shaft extending axially through said end walls and with a handle rod formed integrally with said shaft and connected thereto by a U-band, said side walls of the reservoir having inwardly offset lower portions received in said concave end walls, and a stop plate mounted on the U-bend and having a top edge cooperating with the top wall of one of said inwardly offset side wall portions to limit rotation of the reservoir relative to said handle rod.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,847,689 8/1958 Miller 15-503 X 3,135,006 6/1964 Leland 15-575 FOREIGN PATENTS 878,167 6/1953 Germany. 427,049 4/ 1935 Great Britain.

ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FOUNTAIN PAINT ROLLER ASEMBLY COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ELONGATED RESERVOIR HAVING FRONT AND REAR WALLS AND TRANSVERSE SIDE WALLS, SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS HAVING SPACED LOWER EDGES AND CONVERGENT PORTIONS ABOVE SAID LOWER EDGES DEFINING A RESTRICTED THROAT, A CYLINDRICAL VALVE CORE DISPOSED SUBJACENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY IN CONTACT WITH SAID THROAT PARALLEL THERETO, ARCUATE INARDLY PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY CONCAVE RIBS ON SIAD SIDE WALLS OVERLYING THE ENDS OF THE CORE, INWARDLY PROJECTING LUGS ON THE FRONT WALL UNDERLYING THE CORE AND COOPERATING WITH THE ARCUATE RIBS TO ROTATABLY SUPPORT SAID CORE, SAID CORE BEING LARGER IN DIAMETER THAN SAID THROAT, SAID CORE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY SPACED NOTCHES IN ONE SIDE THEREOF, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CORE BETWEEN A THROAT-CLOSING POSITION AND AN OPEN POSITION WHEREIN ITS NOTCHES PROVIDE 